Top 10 Shocking and Controversial Ad campaigns

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Calvin Klein - Brooke Shields at 14

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GalIsAGuy 9 years ago

1980 TV spot where an underage Shields says suggestively: "Do you want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing". Not as racy as later stuff the company would produce, but caused quite a stir at the time.

Top 10 Shocking and Controversial Ad campaigns

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United Colors of Benetton - AIDS

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GalIsAGuy 9 years ago

This 1992 ad used a picture taken two years earlier, of AIDS activist David Kirby on his deathbed, surrounded by his family. Unlike other non-conventional Benetton ads, this was seen as a positive controversy, raising awareness of the devastating effects of the disease.

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Pepsi - Kendall Jenner

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GalIsAGuy 9 years ago

2017 commercial starring Jenner in a setting echoing popular protests at the time, ending with her handing a cop a can of soda. The ad was accused of appropriating and making light of those protests, especially the Black Lives Matter movement, and was quickly pulled.

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PopChips - Ashton Kutcher

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GalIsAGuy 9 years ago

Produced in 2012 btw

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American Apparel - Made in Bangladesh

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GalIsAGuy 9 years ago

Could be any ad by American Apparel, a company well-known for its provocative marketing style. This one from 2014 is meant to turn attention to the company's high working standards, and features a topless model, who is a merchandiser of Bangladeshi origin, with the words "Made in Bangladesh" strewn across the picture as a tongue-in-cheek reference

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Burger King - Seven Incher

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GalIsAGuy 9 years ago

This 2009 ad was published only in Singapore but gained worldwide notoriety, after complaints about its depiction of a female model, her mouth wide open, facing the titular cheeseburger. The imagery, highly suggestive of oral sex, has angered many including the model herself, who five years later claimed she wasn't told what the final ad would look

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Tom Ford - Tom Ford for Men perfume

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GalIsAGuy 9 years ago

No stranger to controversy, this 2007 campaign from Tom Ford comprised close-up shots of the men's perfume tucked between a naked model's oily breasts and thighs. The saucy pictures, taken by famed provocateur Terry Richardson, were banned in several countries.

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PETA - Veggie Love

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GalIsAGuy 9 years ago

This 2009 TV spot from the animal rights organization was meant to be broadcast during the Super Bowl. However, NBC refused to air it as its content, portraying women engaging in erotic activities with vegetables, was deemed too controversial. The purpose of the ad was to highlight studies claiming that vegetarians have better sex lives, and encour

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Nivea - Re-Civilize Yourself

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GalIsAGuy 9 years ago

2011 print ad showing a neatly shaven black male model, throwing away a black mask with afro and a long beard. The ad was part of a campaign which also featured white models, although without the command to become civilized. The ad unsurprisingly raised accusations of racism and was pulled. Nivea would find itself in hot water for the same reason s

#10

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Belvedere Vodka - Rape joke

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GalIsAGuy 9 years ago

This 2012 ad uses a screenshot from a totally unrelated video, showing a grinning man grasping a startled woman from behind. The caption reads: "Unlike some people, Belvedere always goes down smoothly".